PARLIAMENTARY TERMINOLOGY abstention: not voting at all (the chair should not call for abstentions when taking a vote). adhering motion: a subsidiary or incidental motion that is related to the main question in such a way once introduced that it must be decided before the main question can be decided. adopt: approve, agree to, accept. amend: modify or change the wording of a motion before action is taken upon the motion itself. Forms of the subsidiary motion to amend are to: (1) insert or add words/paragraph, (2) strike out words/paragraph, (3) strike out and insert words/paragraph (substitute, which is to strike out and insert a paragraph). amend something previously adopted: motion proposed to modify the wording or text previously adopted; is fully debatable and opens to debate the entire motion that it proposes to amend. appeal: incidental motion that requires the presiding officer to submit a ruling to the assembly; must be made immediately after the ruling and requires a second; is in order when another has the floor. are you ready for the question: debate (discussion) is in order. call for the orders of the day: lowest ranking of the privileged motions; no second required; requires the adopted program or order of business to be followed unless the assembly decides by a two-thirds vote to set aside the order of the day. carried: adopted, approved. chair: the presiding officer; the place or station of the presiding officer. commit (refer): subsidiary motion to turn the pending motion or resolution over to a committee (or board) for study or redrafting before the assembly considers it further; requires a second. consideration by paragraph (seriatim): the pending document is read by paragraph with each subject to debate and amendment, but the final vote on the document is not taken until all parts have been debated and perfected. dilatory motion: a motion that seeks to obstruct or thwart the will of the assembly. division of a question: incidental motion used to require separate consideration and votes on a pending motion containing two or more parts capable of standing as separate questions. Parliamentary Terminology 2017 Ann Rempel, PRP, CPP-T Page 1 of 5
division of the assembly (division): incidental motion used by a single member to demand a standing vote when the member doubts the accuracy of the chair s announcement of the result of a voice vote. germane amendment: closely related to the motion to which the amendment is applied. germane debate: statements made in debate that have bearing on whether the immediately pending motion should be adopted. Debate must be germane. illegal ballot: ballot that cannot be counted; ballots folded together; ballot with unclear meaning; ballot cast for an ineligible candidate; ballot cast by a person not entitled to vote. improper motions: motions that conflict with the corporate charter, constitution, or bylaws, or with procedural rules prescribed by national, state, or local laws; motions that conflict with a motion that has been adopted and has been neither rescinded, nor reconsidered and rejected after adoption; motions that present practically the same question as a motion previously decided at the same session; motions that conflict with, or present practically the same question as, one still within control of the assembly. immediately pending question: the latest question (motion) stated by the chair when more than one question is pending. in gross: taken together. incidental motions: motions which deal with questions of procedure arising out of other motions or items of business. Incidental motions have no rank among themselves. lay on the table: highest ranking subsidiary motion; used to set the pending question aside temporarily without setting a time for resuming its consideration; used for an urgent reason; not to be used to kill a motion; the pending question is taken up again through adoption of the motion Take from the Table. limit or extend limits of debate: subsidiary motion to change the time allotted for debate; not debatable and requires a two-thirds vote. lost motion: motion that was defeated. main motion: a motion that introduces business. majority vote: more than half of the votes cast. motion: a formal proposal by a member, in a meeting, that certain action be taken by the assembly. Parliamentary Terminology 2017 Ann Rempel, PRP, CPP-T Page 2 of 5
motions that bring a question again before the assembly: the class of motions that allow the assembly to consider again the merits of a question that has been previously disposed of in some way. obtain the floor: securing recognition from the chair as having the right to speak in the meeting. out of order: not correct, from a parliamentary standpoint, at the particular time. parliamentary inquiry: incidental motion used by a member to request the chair s opinion on a matter of parliamentary procedure as it relates to business at hand. pending question: the motion before the assembly. A motion is pending after it has been stated by the chair and until it is disposed of temporarily or permanently. plurality vote: the largest number of votes received by a candidate or proposition when three or more choices are possible. A plurality vote never decides a question or election except by specific rule of the organization. point of order: incidental motion used by a member to call attention of the chair to an infraction of the rules and to require the chair to make a ruling on the question involved; does not require a second or recognition; in most instances, must be made at the time the breach occurs. postpone indefinitely: the lowest-ranking subsidiary motion; disposes of a main motion without a direct vote; requires a majority vote and its debate can go into the merits of the main motion. postpone to a certain time (postpone definitely): subsidiary motion to consider the main motion later in the meeting or at another meeting; sometimes called Postpone. precedence of motions: rank of motions; used in reference to the order in which motions can be introduced and considered. precedence, takes: outranks another motion. precedent: a course of action or decision that may serve as a guide or rule for future similar situations in the assembly. previous question (call for the question): used to close debate and amendment of the pending motion so that it will come to an immediate vote; requires a second and two-thirds vote for adoption; is not debatable; its adoption does not adopt the pending motion. primary amendment: first-degree amendment; applied to the pending motion. privileged motions: a class of motions, which although they are not directly concerned with the business before the assembly, are of such immediate importance that they have the privilege of interrupting the consideration of anything else. All motions in this class are not debatable. Parliamentary Terminology 2017 Ann Rempel, PRP, CPP-T Page 3 of 5
proviso: a temporary or conditional stipulation, usually indicating when a motion takes effect. putting the question: putting the motion to a vote. question: the business before the assembly, the motion (formal proposal) stated by the chair. quorum: the number of members who must be present in order that business can be transacted. raise a question of privilege: privileged motion; a device, which permits a member to interrupt pending business to state an urgent request or motion. recess: an intermission; a privileged motion (therefore, undebatable) if made when business is pending; a main motion (debatable) if made when no business is pending; requires a second and majority vote for adoption. recognition to speak: assignment of the floor by the presiding officer. reconsider: motion made by a member, who voted on the prevailing side in the original vote, to propose that a matter already voted on be brought again before the assembly; debatable only to the extent that the motion proposed to be reconsidered is debatable, and it opens the merits of that question to debate. The motion must be made on the same day as the original vote or on the next day on which a business meeting is held; requires a second and majority vote. If the motion to reconsider is adopted, the matter is before the assembly again as if it had not previously been voted on. A question can be reconsidered only once. The motion to reconsider cannot be reconsidered. If it is voted on and lost, the motion to Reconsider cannot be renewed except by unanimous consent. renewal of a motion: motion can be introduced in a particular situation as if new after having previously been made and disposed of without adoption. request for information (point of information): incidental motion; an inquiry as to facts affecting the business at hand directed to the chair or, through the chair, to a member. rescind something previously adopted: motion to cancel or countermand an entire main motion, resolution, order, or rule that has been adopted and that has continuing force and effect; is fully debatable, and opens to debate the entire motion that it proposes to rescind/repeal/annul. resolution: a main motion usually of such importance and length as to be written; may or may not have a preamble setting forth the reasons for the resolution. RONR: abbreviation for the current edition (11 th ) of Robert s Rules of Order Newly Revised. secondary amendment: second-degree amendment; is applied to a primary amendment. seconding a motion: agreeing that a motion should come before a meeting. Parliamentary Terminology 2017 Ann Rempel, PRP, CPP-T Page 4 of 5
stating the question: formally placing a motion before the assembly and indicating (where appropriate) that it is open to debate. subsidiary motions: motions that assist the assembly in treating or disposing of a main motion (and sometimes other motions). substitute: proposal to amend by striking out an entire paragraph, or the entire text of a resolution or main motion, and inserting another in its place. (Substitute is a technical parliamentary term that is not applied to anything less than a complete paragraph of one or more sentences.) suspend the rules: incidental motion proposed when the assembly wishes to take up a question or do something that would be in violation of a rule that applies; not debatable; requires a second and two-thirds vote. take from the table: motion used to resume consideration of a main motion (along with any series of motions that may be adhering to it), which lies on the table; is undebatable and requires a second and majority vote; its adoption brings the question again before the assembly. two-thirds vote: two out of three of the votes cast. For a two-thirds vote, the affirmative vote is at least twice as large as the negative. unanimous consent: general consent; informal agreement of the assembly. The chair asks if there is any objection to a certain procedure; silence gives consent. voice vote: method of taking a vote on any motion that does not require more than a majority vote for its adoption; taking of the vote by ayes and noes. write-in vote: a vote for someone who has not been nominated, cast by voters writing on the ballot the name of the person. yield: give way to. A pending motion yields to one of higher rank in the order of precedence. Parliamentary Terminology 2017 Ann Rempel, PRP, CPP-T Page 5 of 5